"Whereas other writers have a beginning, middle and end, Smith's books are all end. They start where a lot of books would have their climax."

Iwanski is excited about Smith's latest, "The Fighter," which is set in the Mississippi Delta.

"You've got a down-on-his-luck, beat-up old prize fighter, who loses $12,000 that he needed to pay off his ruthless boss that sets up these fights."

"Backed into a corner, running out of options, his body deteriorating, he reaches out with one desperate last attempt to settle things and save the one woman who was ever family to him. So it's gritty, it's dark, but there's a slight glimmer of redemption for him and for the other characters."